Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Reveals Reason Behind T20 World Cup 'Boycott': "We Are With Bangladesh"

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly revealed the reason behind the decision to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India. The Pakistan government announced the national team will take part in the competition but will not play the group stage match against India on February 15.  Sharif said that there should not be any politics in sports and added that Pakistan have taken the decision in support of Bangladesh. "There should be no politics in sports; it is our clear stand. We have taken this stand after careful deliberation. We are with Bangladesh, and I think this is the right and proper decision," he said while addressing the federal cabinet in Islamabad.

Following the Pakistan Government's decision, the International Cricket Council (ICC) issued a statement saying that "selective participation" is not fair to the "fundamental premise of a global sporting event" and that it expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution that protects the interests of all stakeholders.

ICC said in a release that it has noted the Government of Pakistan's statement regarding the decision to instruct its national team to selectively participate in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

"While the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), this position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule," ICC said.

Pakistan squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.

(With agency inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Bangladesh Cricket Team International Cricket Council Pakistan Cricket Board BCCI T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket